SHANE van Gisbergen’s wish for more starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is about to come true, with the Kiwi enlisted to drive for Spire Motorsports next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The drive follows in the wheel tracks of a return to the class last weekend at Watkins Glen, where he overcame a range of issues to finish third.

It will be his second oval start in the Truck Series, after taking to the short Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2023 with Niece Motorsports.

The #71 Spire Chevrolet Silverado is a part-time effort for the squad, which, to date in 2026, has been driven by Daniel Suárez and, last weekend at Watkins Glen, by Connor Zilisch, who finished second.

Crew chiefing the entry is the highly experienced Kevin Manion.

The team also fields two full-time trucks, which are driven by a range of drivers, including Busch and Carson Hocevar, who recently broke through for Spire in the Cup level at Talladega.

Sprire’s Truck Series outfit originally ran as Kyle Busch Motorsports up until 2023.

In the lead-up to Watkins Glen, SVG noted a desire for more racing in the Truck and Xfinity Series, especially on ovals.

“Yeah, I want to race everything!” Said van Gisbergen at the time.

“I would love to do it on ovals as well, especially at tracks like Texas.

“I would love to do more on ovals to get better, but obviously it’s easier for me to get sponsorship on road courses (laughs).

“Hopefully, if I have good races with these teams, it will lead to more on ovals.

The Truck Series race is a companion event to Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race.

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